I’ve been reluctant to weigh in because part of my response here raised some ire once before. So please, know that none of the comments posted here are directed in any way toward any individual or group of individuals. Whew…
I don’t think that having a forum for posting other peoples’ canoe ads is wise, nor do I think it’s wise to post them ad-hoc. There are a variety of reasons:
1. We have a classified ads section of the website specifically devoted to the sale of wooden canoes and similar boats. Supposedly, ads are free to members but have a cost to non-members. This policy should either generate new members or generate revenue for the WCHA. Forum posters who do the work for sellers (by posting their Ebay and Craigslist ads here) circumvents these benefits to the WCHA entirely.
2. There may be ethical and/or legal issues with posting the photos taken by other people. Maybe Greg can chime in on the legality here; I’m not sure about the legal side, but it seems unethical to take someone else’s photos and post them here forever. We could argue that “that’s just the breaks in the digital age”, but the free-flow of electrons doesn’t negate ethical behavior.
3. Posting Ebay and similar ads here could generate animosity among WCHA members as well as non-members who frequent this site (in fact, I’ve heard that it already does). Someone who does the legwork of finding a “for sale” listing may not appreciate someone with no interest displaying their find on this site. Note- whether you agree with this sentiment or not, there are people who feel this way. We can argue about the merits of such feelings, but they will crop up.
4. Some WCHA members abhor the cutting up of canoes for bookcases, or the selling of canoes solely as decorations to be hung in expensive homes. These are personal philosophy issues again, but they are real concerns to some of our membership. A WCHA forum for Ebay listings will provide one more avenue for people with "motives less pure than ours" to find and purchase wooden canoes, and will do much of the legwork for people who would turn some wonderful old canoes into bookcases. Wooden canoes are property and people can do what they want with their own property. Even so, does the membership want to potentially aid the destruction of wooden canoes, or rather remain "devoted to preserving, studying, building, restoring and using wood canoes" (now where have I heard that line before?)?
I just noticed that Dave McD posted an excellent (short!) argument that sums up #3 above. Thanks, Dave!
Please don’t think I’m taking a holier-than-thou attitude here. That’s not my intention. My opinion? These ads are on Ebay and Craigslist… I personally don’t need to see them duplicated here. Information from the ads is another thing. I’m submitting an article for Wooden Canoe just now that gleans information from “for sale” and auction listings, but it is about the data, not simply a list of advertisements.
My two cents... perhaps worth far less, but here it is anyway.
MSG